Hovdal builds on lead after two rounds at 57th Pacific Coast Amateur
University Place, Wash. – After an impressive opening round of 7-under 64, Simon Hovdal from Sweden followed up with a 4-under 67 today, extending his lead to five shots after two rounds at the 57th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. The event is being held this week, July 23-26, at Chambers Bay.
Championship Links:
Hovdal entered the day with a two-shot lead over Zac Jones of Highland, Utah. He got off to another good start in today’s round, eagling the par-5 4th hole before giving two shots back on the seventh and eighth holes. Hovdal birdied the ninth and continued strong, going bogey-free with a 3-under par on the back nine.
Through two rounds this week, Hovdal is 7-under on the back nine alone at Chambers Bay, with one eagle and six birdies against just one bogey.
Nineteen-year-old Hovdal is ranked No. 219 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and has committed to play college golf at Texas Tech University beginning in 2025, following in the footsteps of fellow Swedish golfer Ludvig Aberg.
In the final group tomorrow, Hovdal will be joined by Hunter Thomson from Calgary, Alberta, who is five shots back, and Zac Jones, who is eight shots back and tied for third.
In the Morse Cup team competition, the team from the Northern California Golf Association captured the title for the second time in three years (2022). The team comprised of Sam Sommerhauser from Lincoln, Calif., Brady Siravo from Sacramento, Calif., and Brandon Knight from Pleasanton, Calif. 5-under par after two rounds, three shots clear of second place.
The Morse Cup team competition took place concurrently during the first two days of the championship. The Pacific Coast Golf Association consists of 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations, and each association selected three players to represent them in the team competition. The two top scores from each team in rounds one and two will count for the Morse Cup portion of the event.
Notable:
- Connor Jones from Westminster, Colo. moved up to third place in the Elite Amateur Cup standings after last week’s Southern Amateur. He sits tied for 6th at 2-under par after two rounds.
- Sam Sommerhauser from Lincoln, Calif. shot a 4-under 67 to tie for the low round of the day with Simon Hovdal. Sommerhauser sits eight shots back, tied for third.
- A total of 17 players are under par after the first two rounds of the championship. Only six players have shot under par in each of the first two rounds.
- The 436-yard par-4 10th hole played as the toughest hole in round two, with a scoring average of 4.48. The hole yielded just 13 birdies against 38 bogeys or worse.
- Hole number four, a 545-yard par-5, once again played as the easiest hole in the second round, with five eagles, 34 birdies, and a scoring average of 4.61.
Up next:
Round three gets underway tomorrow, Thursday, July 25th, at Chambers Bay. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. local time.
About Chambers Bay
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 2007, Chambers Bay is a links-style layout along the shores of Puget Sound. The venue made history by hosting the first U.S. Open ever held in the Pacific Northwest in 2015. It has also been the site of multiple other USGA championships, including the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Chambers Bay is a municipal facility owned by Pierce County and is open to the public. The facility has been designated by Audubon International as a Silver Signature Sanctuary, the first golf course in the Pacific Northwest to receive this certification. More information can be found at chambersbaygolf.com.
About the Pacific Coast Golf Association
The Pacific Coast Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in North America. The first tournament was held on the links of San Francisco Golf Club at The Presidio in 1901. After being played until 1911, the Pacific Coast Amateur then ceased to exist, only to be reconstituted at Seattle Golf Club in 1967. Today, 15 member Pacific Rim golf associations comprise the Pacific Coast Golf Association.
About the Elite Amateur Golf Series
Launched in 2022 to challenge the best of the best in amateur golf, the Elite Amateur Golf Series brings together the top amateur championships in a collective series of competition, the Elite Amateur Cup. In addition to hosting the best players, Elite Amateur Cup events are contested at the best sites and have the longest history of successful champions. The Elite Amateur Golf Series maintains a proven track record that prepares elite players for the toughest competitive tests, making the championships the majors of amateur golf. For more information visit eliteamateurgolfseries.org.